Together
by Underworld's Rules
Summary: After the Giant War, Leo is totally broken. His best friends, Jason and Piper are dead, and he is alone. Reyna is crying over her loved ones' deaths. They'll have to look after each other, because they're now on their own.


**Just a Leyna one-shoot. Because they're adorable. **

**DISCLAIMER:**** I do not own PJO, Leyna or anything like that. Just the plot.**

* * *

Leo was working in the forges, trying really hard to finish his project before bed time.

"Who new that Romans have such a good forges?" He muttered under his breath.

"I did." Someone said behind him. When he turned, he found Reyna leaning against a wall, with her arms crossed.

He smirked, back to his work. "You just can't get enough of me, huh?"

"If you are done saying stupidities, I'd like to talk, Valdez." She snapped at him.

"If you are here to make me eat dinner, forget it."

Reyna glared at him. "Valdez, you have to eat. If you don't, I'll forbid you to go to the forges."

"I wish you good luck with that. I'm pretty sneaky."

"Valdez, get out."

"I think you mean 'make out'." He winked at her. Reyna punched his arm.

"No time for jokes. You must eat."

"Forget it. I'm not hungry." He said, rubbing his arm.

Reyna grabbed his shoulder angrily, spinning him around.

"Listen, Valdez." She hissed." I promised Jason and Piper that I'll look after you, and that's what I'm going to do."

"Don't talk about them!" He snapped furiously, on his last nerves. "You have no right to do it! You hated them!"

"I didn't hate them." Reyna said calmly.

"You were always jealous of Piper because she was dating Jason and you weren't! And you hated Jason because he rejected you!"

_He totally lost it_, Reyna thought.

"First off, Jason didn't reject me because I didn't ask him out. And second, yes, I was a bit jealous of Piper, but no because his boyfriend, I was because-!" She cut herself off before it was too late.

_No, bad Reyna. Don't say it_, she scolded herself.

"Because what?"

"Nothing." She snapped. "If you are hungry, you know where the pavilion is. I'm done trying to convince you." She turned away to leave, but what he said stopped her.

"Is the great Reyna, praetor of New Rome and daughter of Bellona, giving up?"

She balled her fists.

"I never give up." She said. "But, like every good strategist, I know when I have to retreat. Maybe you should learn it. Good night."

She left the forges, and Leo stood there, thinking in silence.

"Maybe she's right." He muttered to himself. "Jason and Piper are gone, and nobody's gonna change it."

He looked at his work. A little metal bird that was going to be Piper's birthday present.

_Besides, Reyna also lost a lot of people. Maybe I should try to cheer her up, instead of being locked here. After all, I'm Leo Valdez, Supreme Commander of the Argo II, and I always make people laugh, right?_, he thought.

"Yeah. That's what I'm gonna do. I'll try it tomorrow."

And he went back to his work.

* * *

Reyna woke up at 4am. She couldn't sleep her eight hours straight thinking about her talk with Leo.

"Stupid Valdez." She muttered. "Keeping me up when I need to rest."

Sighing, she got out of bed. Maybe she should check on Leo. What if he had hurt himself working? She had a bad gut feeling. Maybe he went to bed. Or maybe he spent the night in the forges. Whit this guy, who knew?

"This better be important." She mumbled. "Or else, I'll kill him."

She walked to the forges, thinking about Jason and Piper's deaths.

_Did people really think I hate them? Am I really that horrible?_, she thought.

_So what if they think that? I'm Reyna, praetor of New Rome, I cannot let people's thoughts affect me._

_C'mon, we both know they do affect you._

_No, they don't._

_Yeah, they do._

_No._

_Yes._

_Nuh-uh._

_Yes-uh._

_That's not even a word._

_It is._

_Am I really arguing with myself? I must have gone insane._

_At least we agree, hon._

_Shut up._

"Oh, gods, I have to find Leo before I go mad."

_You're alredy mad, babe._

"Quickly."

* * *

She pushed the forges' door softly. They were open.

"He left the doors open?" She muttered. "I'm so going to kill him."

Reyna entered in the forges and turned the lights on. A smile escaped her lips.

Leo was asleep, sitting on a chair, and his head resting on the table. A small metallic bird was next to his nose.

"Oh, gods." She shook his shoulder gently. "Valdez, get up."

His eyes opened lazily, missing the darkness behind his eyelids.

"Hum… Reyna?" He mumbled, half-asleep. "What are you doing here?"

"I want to talk. Come on, get up."

Leo yawned and glared at her groggily.

"You look pretty in you pyjamas." He said, before realizing what his words were. He clapped a hand over his mouth, while Reyna blushed for the first time in years. "Uh, sorry."

"Are you done hitting on me?"

"I didn't want to! Usually, I'd say it on purpose, but it just slipped! It's just I saw you and I thought it and unintentionally, I said it. Sorry."

She sighed. "It's okay. Now, come with me. I think we have to talk."

"Uh, yeah." He handed her the bird abruptly. "For you." He blurted out.

Reyna glared at him curiously until he felt uncomfortable.

"I'm serious." Reyna took the little bird.

"Thanks. I think." She muttered.

"So, what did you want to talk about?"

* * *

"Where are we going again?" Reyna sighed.

"To the cemetery. I believe you Greeks call it necropolis. City of the Dead."

"Oh, no, I've always called it cemetery."

"Okay, whatever."

"Wait a second, you can speak Greek?" He asked suddenly.

"A bit. Lupa taught me."

"And what does necropolis mean?"

Reyna raised her eyebrows. "Already told you. City of the Dead. It comes from the Ancient Greek words _necros_, which means 'dead'; and _polis,_ which means city."

"Wow. Impressive. And cemetery is a Latin word?"

"Cemetery comes from the Latin word _coementerioum_, which comes from the Greek word _koimeterion_."

"Oh." He said. "It means city of the dead too?"

"No. It means dormitory."

"But they are dead, not asleep."

"With the arrival of Christianity in Rome, minds started to change. Christians believed that the dead weren't dead, just asleep. Well, they knew they were dead, obviously, but they believe in resurrection at the end of the time."

"Seems complicated."

"It's easier than Roman and Greek gods."

"Touché."

They both laughed.

"Wow, it's the first time I see you laughing! It's a nice change."

Reyna blushed again.

_What's wrong with me?_, she thought.

"Thanks."

"You know, since w both lost our best friends… I lost piper and you lost Jason… Maybe we could be best friends." He muttered.

Reyna looked at him, puzzled. No one had asked her to be friends. Maybe this is what she needed. A fresh start.

"I'd love to." She whispered. Leo grinned like crazy and hugged her.

"You'll see, we're gonna have so much fun together. Do you like tacos? I hope you like tacos, because I can't hang out with a girl who doesn't." He rambled.

"What are… tacos?"

His eyes widened. "You don't know hat tacos are? This is desperate. We have to find a tacos store. Now!"

He grabbed her by the wrist and ran to the entrance of the camp dragging her along. And Reyna laughed sincerely for the first time in many years.

* * *

"Ready to do this?" Leo asked.

"No. I don't want to, let me go!" She screamed, trying to run away, but he held her by the waist.

"Nuh-uh. You are going to do this with me. C'mon, roller coasters aren't that bad."

"For you! Let me go!"

Leo laughed. Three years after they became best friends, they were still the same. Leo was immature, always joking and totally crazy, while Reyna was serious and mature. Well, except when it came to roller coasters.

"Aw, c'mon, you're twenty! And a rollercoaster scares you?"

"Yes! They're more dangerous than Gaea!"

"You're more dangerous than Gaea too."

"Valdez! You're going to regret this!"

He grinned, staring at her eyes. They were black, the darkest black you could ever imagine, but still beautiful. Three years in love with her really change your mind, right?

"Do I have something on my face, Valdez?" Reyna asked, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"Yeah, the most beautiful smile I've ever seen."

Reyna blushed and smiled lightly. She was getting used to his lame pick up lines.

"Nonsense." She muttered.

_Here goes nothing_, he thought.

"I'm not lying." He held her hands. "Reyna, I know you'd probably try to kill me after this, but… Look, when we met we weren't exactly on good terms. Bout suddenly, we were best friends and I was falling for you and I tried to tell you, but I didn't want to ruin our friendship or my face, so I'm saying it now." He took a deep breath. "Reyna, I've always loved you. And it's okay if you don't love me back, it really is. Just thought you should know. So, Reyna, would you be my girlfriend?"

Reyna stood there, shocked. Did he just…? Really? As in, seriously? Here? Real life? Not a dream?

"Uh, Reyna?" He said. "If you are going to kill me, could we just get over with it?"

"Yes." She whispered.

"Yes, what?"

"Yes, I will be your girlfriend."

He grinned like a maniac.

"Really?" She nodded, smiling. Leo hugged her and spun her around. "Oh, I'm just so happy right now!"

"Me too." She replied. "Took you three years to have the guts to ask me out!"

"But we're together now. And that's what matters." He said, leaning in.

Reyna found herself leaning in too. And when their lips touched, she felt like she was in Elysium. She couldn't have been happier.

_Yeah, being together is what matters now._


End file.
